795.00/11–2051
Memorandum of Conversation, by Elizabeth A. Brown of the Office of United Nations Political and Security Affairs
Subject: Briefing of Foreign Government Representatives on Korea
| Participants: | Australia | —Mr. McNichol, Second Secretary |
| Belgium | —Mr. Rothschild, Counselor | |
| Canada | —Mr. Campbell, Second Secretary | |
| Colombia | —Dr. Pastrana, Minister Counselor | |
| Ethiopia | —Absent | |
| France | —Mr. Millet, Counselor | |
| Great Britain | —Mr. Tomlinson, Counselor | |
| Greece | —Mr. Kalergis, Minister Counselor | |
| Korea | —Mr. Han, First Secretary | |
| Luxembourg | —Absent | |
| Netherlands | —Dr. de Beus, Minister Plenipotentiary | |
| Baron van Boetzelaer, First Secretary | ||
| New Zealand | —Absent | |
| Philippines | —Lt. Col. Salientes, Armed Forces Attaché | |
| Thailand | —Mr. Charat, Second Secretary | |
| Turkey | —Mr. Esenbel, Counselor | |
| Union of South Africa | —Mr. Taswell, First Secretary | |
| United States | —UNA, Mr. Hickerson | |
| UNA, Mr. Bloomfield | ||
| FE, Mr. Johnson | ||
| UNP, Mr. Popper | ||
| UNP, Mr. Henkin | ||
| UNP, Miss Brown | ||
| EUR, Mr. Allen | ||
| Army, Captain Pope |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mr. Hickerson stated that he wished to raise one somewhat painful matter with the group. He referred to the story by James Reston which appeared in the New York Times November 17 and which gave in considerable detail and quite accurately the substance of the current UN proposal. He read to the group the two initial sentences of the story, including a reference to the fact that it had been learned that Assistant Secretary John D. Hickerson had informed the representatives of foreign governments the preceding afternoon of the proposal. He regretted the necessity for calling this matter to the attention of the group. He read a message which had been received from Admiral Joy (HNC 462, November 18) which indicated a strong possibility [Page 1154] that information as to the details of our proposal had leaked before the proposal was made public. He called attention to the fact that Admiral Joy believed that the Communists were prepared for and expecting our latest proposal.1 Mr. Hickerson expressed deep regret at being compelled to report these facts to the group.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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In his message, Admiral Joy stated that “viewed in retrospect there appears to have been a perceptible stiffening of Communists’ attitude about November 13.…” (Black Book, Tab 115) In the briefing on November 9 (p. 1103), Mr. Hickerson had mentioned the possibility of submitting to the Communist side a proposal for a demarcation line tied in with a time limit for acceptance of the other items. He referred to this possibility again at the briefing on November 13 (795.00/11–1351).
The matter was discussed briefly at the State–JCS meeting on November 21, following which Mr. U. Alexis Johnson wrote the following memorandum of conversation:
“At a meeting at 10:30 this morning, the JCS raised the question of the leak contained in Reston’s New York Times article of November 17 on the proposed action in the truce talk negotiations in Korea, which apparently resulted from the information given representatives of the participating countries at the meeting with Mr. Hickerson on November 16.
“State representatives expressed their concern also over this leak and stated that the matter had been discussed with the representatives of participating nations at the meeting of November 20, with the implication that hereafter it would be impossible to discuss at these meetings plans for future actions. The State representatives concurred with the JCS in that hereafter the timing of any discussion of future actions in these meetings should be such as to eliminate the possibility of leaks to the enemy of information on contemplated actions.” (795.00/11–2151)
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